The Colosseum's Badly Needed Bath

The first full cleaning in the Colosseum's history aims to return the Roman monument to its former splendor

By

Eric Sylvers

Updated April 25, 2014 4:22 p.m. ET

Rome's Colosseum Gets a Facelift

A $35 million project to clean up the Colosseum aims to return it to its former splendor, while also strengthening the overall structure. Compare a column covered in gunk, and a different column, after the scrubdown treatment.

Rome's Colosseum will soon look a little more like it did in the bad old days two millennia ago, when it first hosted gladiator fights, mock naval battles and public executions carried out by wild animals.

The $35 million project—the first full cleaning in the Colosseum's history—aims to return it to its former splendor, while also strengthening the overall structure. Earthquakes, the pillaging of pieces of its outer frame, heavy car traffic and Rome's nearby subway have damaged key parts. The scrubdown should also reveal secrets of how one of the world's most famous, and often neglected, monuments remained standing for 20 centuries.

Some surprises have already emerged during the project's first six months. The restorers expect to uncover the first five arcades this summer. Visitors will find that the monument's Travertine limestone is once again a vibrant dark ivory—what
Rossella Rea,
the Colosseum's director, calls "yellow ivory." Pollution had turned the stone a variety of colors from dirty cream to jet black.

The Colossal Scrubdown

A $35 million project aims to return the Roman Colosseum to its former splendor. Giulio Napolitano for The Wall Street Journal

When the first five arcades are revealed, five others will be covered as the scaffolding makes its slow clockwise trip around the monument. There are 80 arcades in all.

While this is the first full cleaning in the Colosseum's history, for centuries cement and other substances have closed fissures in the Travertine limestone. For the first time, thanks to the scaffolding, "we had the chance to examine past restorations closely and see how the philosophy of shoring up the structure has evolved through the centuries," said Ms. Rea, who has worked at the Colosseum for 30 years, including the past six as director.

A 1990s cleaning of four arcades gave restorers the confidence that they had developed the least invasive method to remove centuries of gunk.

Behind the scaffolding's tarp that obstructs the views of passersby, hundreds of jets of water lightly spray each piece of Travertine limestone for a period ranging from one to four hours. The duration increases at the lower levels that are more exposed to car exhaust and consequently have accumulated more dirt.

During breaks in the spraying, 10 workers dressed from head to toe in yellow waterproof outfits scrub the Travertine with soft-bristled brushes and toothbrushes. In particularly difficult spots where the accumulated gunk refuses to come lose, they use compresses of ammonium bicarbonate. Keeping the water on long enough would also do the job, but too much water can damage the Travertine and turn it an artificial white. Restorers use hammers and chisels to chip away at poorly done past interventions.

"When you have the chance to put up scaffolding on an ancient monument and look closely while you're cleaning, you discover things you would never otherwise see such as frescoes, stucco work, inscriptions and graffiti," said
Clementina Panella,
a professor of Roman archaeology at Rome's La Sapienza university.

Ms. Rea says she expects major surprises like those to emerge when the scaffolding makes its way to the south and west sides of the Colosseum. That section lacks an extra row of outer arcades, which began to be dismantled in the sixth century to provide material for new structures. The outer arcades block close-up looks at the inner structure. In January last year, a small-scale cleaning not connected to the current project revealed frescoes, graffiti and drawings on an internal passageway. The project could also afford the first look at how the Romans built key sections of the world-famous monument.

The cleaning, slated to end in 2016, started in October after years of bureaucratic wrangling and a national debate about whether the cleaning of a national monument should be funded by a private company or individual—in this case,
Diego Della Valle,
the billionaire owner of leather-goods maker Tod's. Mr. Della Valle's donation will also cover some restoration inside the Colosseum and the building of a visitors' center.

While the arena has been decaying for centuries due to a lack of proper upkeep, it is not in the dire straits of Pompeii, the ancient Roman town buried by Vesuvius in 79 A.D., just three years before the Colosseum's completion. In 2010, a building in Pompeii collapsed, and since then several walls in other structures have crumbled.

While Ms. Rea insists there is no danger of any pieces of the Colosseum falling off, she says she'd probably need close to triple what Mr. Della Valle has donated to be able to carry out all the needed restoration. In particular, she would like to fix up an unstable and abandoned tunnel filled with frescoes and stucco and marble works; it was once used by the emperor to arrive in the Colosseum.

Darius Arya,
an American archaeologist who is chief executive and co-founder of the American Institute for Roman Culture, said of the Colosseum, "People think it's been here for 2,000 years and so it will be here another 2,000, but the reality is: No, it won't, if you don't take care of it."

It was disturbing to see a big cross displayed in the Colosseum when in fact most of the martyrs were Jews enslaved during the Jewish War of 66-73 CE. It is similar to the Polish Catholic attempt to make Auschwitz a Christian site or the successful attempt by India to make the place where the Buddha reached enlightenment, Bodh Gaya, into a Hindu site, or the much earlier building of the Al-Aqsa mosque on the site of the Holy Temple of the Jews.

I was in Rome and was amazed that I was in a city that was over 2000 years old that was in better condition than cities in America that were less that 200 years old. Rome is a historical architectural and art lovers dream. Rome has survived attacks from conquering nations World Wars and years of decay to be a marvel still standing. It is truly one of the wonders of the world.

The impact of tourism on Italy's economy must be staggering. It seems to me that a $35 million renovation for something as iconic as the Coliseum wouldn't be such a difficult project for the public to justify funding.

This is the job I want, cleaning the colosseum with a tooth brush and gentle gusts of water. My guess based on US government cost estimates for projects, is that Italy will blow through the first $35 million and need at least another $35 to finish the project.

The Pantheon is as beautiful and functional as the day it was finished. It is 1800 years old and really has had no restoration whatsoever. What structure that has been built SINCE the Pantheon has anything like that elegance and durability. The Romans clearly knew things about construction we don't and have yet to discover: amazing.

The cost of the restoration of the Washington Monument in the late 90's (not the earthquake fixes of couple of years ago) was around $10 million. Since that was only 110 years after it was built, my thinking is $35 million after a pretty long time is chump change.

The cost for entrance is;

PRICE FOR THE TICKET TO COLOSSEO, FORO ROMANO and PALATINO valid 2 days:ADULTS € 12,00REDUCED FEE € 7,50 for European Union members between 18 and 24 years oldFREE ENTRANCE for persons under 18 and over 65 years old from the European Union

I don't think I've ever seen any attraction anywhere in the US that has reduced or free charges for students or senior citizens only if they were citizens of the US. Kinda stupid.

Did you somehow miss the part that the colosseum is 2000 year old and still standing, or the Pantheon at 1800 years old still exists, or the 500 year old statue of David is very well preserved, etc. The fact that so many items from antiquity still exist due the efforts of the Italians is proof that they are far from inept.

Most people think the barbarians destroyed Rome. Not true. It was destroyed by its inhabitants over an 800 year period beginning in about 700 AD. Ipso facto. Before then the German barbarians had carted away the moveable valuables like precious metals, furnishings, etc. They did little actual damage to the buildings. The ignorant Christians had no understanding or appreciation of the pagan civilization that preceded theirs. They barely tolerate it today. The sad fact of the matter is that if not for the Greek exodus from the fall of Constantinople to the Turks in 1453, very little of the ancient literature we have now would have survived.

Italy has a fabulous record of preservation of the past compared to the Middle East. Even hostile Christian or Islamic cults that came after in Egypt couldn't tear apart or level the Pyramids. Most of what we know of ancient Egypt was purposefully hidden and buried way out of sight! The Egyptians knew their successors weren't going to do anything to preserve the memory of their civilization. We know less about ancient Mesopotamia because they weren't nearly as good as the Egyptians at hiding their treasures and culture.

Modern Italians, yes. The problem is that up until the Renaissance, the people of Rome saw little value in antiquities. They used the great basilicas and colosseum along with other monumental structures as quarries. As late as the 17th century, the copper vaulting from the Pantheon was stripped off to build Bernini's baldacchino in the Vatican. The only reason the Pantheon is still standing is because it was early on converted to a church. The great awakening was a slow process and really got going only in the 18th century. Sorry to burden you with the truth. We in the west were late to emerge from barbarism and our Christianity is an offshoot of that barbarism. Charlemagne admired the great buildings in Rome and actually stayed in the old imperial palace on the Palatine. So, up until the year 800, most of ancient Rome was still standing, though in shabby condition. But its inhabitants never maintained it.

This copy is for your personal, non-commercial use only. Distribution and use of this material are governed by our Subscriber Agreement and by copyright law. For non-personal use or to order multiple copies, please contact Dow Jones Reprints at 1-800-843-0008 or visit www.djreprints.com.